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Study Habits: The Key to Effective Learning and Academic Success

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Published: Feb 7, 2024

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Study habits for effective learning, study habits for memory retention, study habits for exam preparation, study habits for online learning.

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Creating Positive Change: Good Study Habits Essay

Good study habits are best described as a set of tools that facilitate an increase of the amount of information learned and also make the information to be remembered for a long time. Well, I did not grow up with good study habits, I used to spend most of my free time playing video games, watching movies and listening to music, and hardly doing my homework. Despite my parents’ effort of taking me to a good school, I paid little attention to schoolwork. As a result of these, I registered very poor school grades, which in turn led to frustrations both for me and my parents. It is this experience that made me convict myself to creating a positive change towards studying my school work. I realized that developing good study habits was paramount because through them, I could gain success and satisfaction during the school years and the same could be extended to the working world.

The journey towards attaining this positive change has not been easy though. I am still working on this endeavor. The very first step I am taking is to make sure that, my home is a good place to study. For any positive results to be attained in studying at home, the home environment should be made conducive for thinking. It is now clear to me that, I can only concentrate on one thing at a time; this then means that, the home environment should be free from noise and distraction. In light of the importance of quietness and less distraction, I now design a time chart for one week in which I allocate study time late in the afternoons and early evening because at this time there is minimal activity in my house.

The second step I am taking to make this change happen is to eliminate common distractions such as television, radio, and stereo, just to mention but a few. Well, I was used to studying in a noisy environment. But at the moment, I switch off the television and reduce the volume of the radio while studying. I am optimistic that, within a short time, I will be able to study in absolute silence. Furthermore, I have arranged for phone time when I can make or receive calls to avoid disruptions during study time. In addition, I have informed my friends of the appropriate time they can visit me. Lastly, I keep all the supplies I need in the study area, for instance, pens, papers, clips, calculators, and many others.

The third important step I am taking to make this change happen is providing physical conditions in the study area that are conducive for concentration. To achieve this, I have good lighting, cool temperatures, a comfortable chair, and a table to help me be alert.

For me to have reached where I am now, it took me hard work and patience. When I was starting to cultivate this habit, I felt fatigued and was almost giving up. I even lost some of my friends. Sticking to the goal of developing good study habits in order to make a change for the better, has made me realize the importance of developing a routine and term commitment to each and every decision I make in life. It is through this experience that I also realize, good concentration doesn’t just come but it takes time and patience to shape.

In conclusion, good study habits are acquired and developed by an individual. In order to achieve this, it is equally important to set a study time for work at home, allocate a comfortable amount of work every day without being too pushy, provide a conducive studying environment free from destructions and noise, and above all have a positive attitude, commitment, and patience.

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Study habits

Study is an important part of your university life. Learning how to manage your study and developing good study habits will help you study effectively and maximise your learning at University.

What you will learn

• techniques for developing good study habits
• strategies to help manage your time effectively

Image: Planner by Marijana1 Pixabay

Start planning

The key to keeping on track of your studies is to organise yourself - carefully organising your study time so you can juggle family and other personal commitments. This means getting into the habit of planning! Planning is the basis of good time management. It allows you to track what you are doing, monitor what you have already done and how much time you have available to you. Whether it’s short-term or long-term planning, creating a plan will give you guidance and direction, allowing you to manage your time more effectively.

Semester plan

At the start of the semester, begin planning how you are going to manage your study load with your other commitments. This will give you an overview of your commitments for the whole semester. Consider the following:

• Check the University calendar - it shows semester breaks, study weeks, tuition-free weeks, exam dates etc.
• Use your unit outlines - this will give you a general overview of the whole semester, including assessment due dates.
• Plan your timetable - use the Curtin timetable to plan a potential timetable for your different combinations of units. Record dates for lectures, tutorials, tests, assignment submissions and other significant events.

Using planners such as the above can help you record important dates so you are prepared for what lies ahead. If there are any serious clash of commitments, you will be able to see it and negotiate with your tutors.

Weekly plan

Once you have noted down the key dates for the semester, start planning for each week. Your lectures and tutorial times for the various subjects are usually scheduled at the same time each week so try and develop a weekly study routine. Your weekly plan should include both study and personal activities, for example:

• Lectures and tutorials
• Pre-reading material
• Work and family commitments
• Health and well-being activities (sports, gym, yoga etc)

Keeping a daily plan of all your activities can help you work towards completing your tasks within a set time frame. For example, “Complete introduction to essay “ - by planning for this task you will hold yourself accountable and make use of your time effectively. You may also want to consider giving yourself a little reward for having accomplished the task.

You can use a diary, to do list or other forms of electronic planners to schedule your daily activities.

Planning and organising your study load is important, but it is also important to get the balance right so that you can go from the planning stage and move into actually getting started!

Having goals is a good way to motivate yourself and get you started. When setting goals, consider breaking down your work into achievable goals rather than being overly ambitious. The video below shows you how to use the SMART goals method to create clear and achievable goals that you can actually work with.

Tips for setting goals:

• set clearly defined goals - set specific goals so you are clear about exactly what you want to achieve
• keep them realistic so the goals are purposeful and achievable
• break the goal down into smaller goals (mini-goals), then breaking down the mini-goals into tasks
• set a time frame for achieving these goals - set a start and end date
• adjust your expectations - if you are feeling unwell on the day, you may need to modify your schedule accordingly. Do not feel guilty!

And remember to reward yourself when you successfully complete a task (call a friend, check your emails or get a snack).

The activity below will show you how to tackle your assignment by breaking down your goal (of completing an assignment) into mini-goals, and into achievable tasks.

In the activity place the mini tasks for writing an assignment in the correct order.

Manage your time

Time management is an essential skill for studying at University. Students who manage their time well often perform better in their first year of University (Kitsantas et.al., 2008). Finding ways of managing your time can help you cope with the pressure of studying, ensuring you do the right work at the right time.

Time management is all about self management - managing you and what you choose to do in an allocated space that we call time. Managing you and your time is all about:

• being aware that time is limited - you cannot get back time that has passed
• organising your goals, plans and schedules to effectively use time, and
• monitoring your use of time and adjusting to the distractions and changing priorities.

The key to managing your time rests on valuing what you do, prioritising and organising your activities.

When you value what you are doing you will commit to it - you will dedicate more time to it and less time to what is less important to you. Ask yourself “Is this work (study or degree) important to me?” If the answer is “Yes”, then it deserves your full attention and commitment. Focusing on high value activities will ensure you do not mis-locate your time.

To reconnect with your values, try this:

• list 3 main reasons why you decided to undertake university study - stick it on your wall so it is a visible reminder to you
• list your core values e.g. career, family, health - reflecting on this regularly can help you prioritise what’s important and what’s not
• visualise your future life with the degree - this visualisation could motivate you to achieve your goal

Prioritising

Working out your priorities can help you manage your study, work and life as this ensures that you get the important things done first whilst still having time for the little things you would still like to do. For example, you may have a couple of exams coming up and may need to prioritise subjects that are more challenging for you and allocate time on these first. But how do you decide on what the most important task is when everything feels important?

There are a number of techniques to help you prioritise but always find the one that best suits you.

• Priority matrix (Stephen Covey)
• Pareto Principle
• Focus on the most important tasks (MITs)

The key to keeping on track of your studies is to organise yourself - carefully organising your study time so you can juggle family and other personal commitments. Here are some tips on how to get organised:

• Write notes or a to-do-list - tick each task off as you complete them, but remember to keep it manageable!
• Use diaries, timetables and calendars - write down all your commitments (assignment due dates, work, sports, social events etc.)
• Create a time audit to track your time. There are many apps and study techniques to help you stay on track, e.g. the Pomodoro Technique , which uses a timer to break down work into 25 minute intervals with short breaks in-between.

Note: Get into the habit of referring back to these at the end of each week to track your progress and see if you need to make some adjustments.

Useful resources for managing your time:

• Improve your time management techniques
• T he Pomodoro technique

Know yourself

Knowing who you are and what you are like is a critical part of managing yourself and the time that you have. Are you organised or rigid? Flexible or disorganised? Do you have a short or long concentration span? It is important to consider what works well for you in regard to how you manage your study load with time to rest and play. Get to know yourself and your habits and monitor your behaviour and actions so you can turn these into your patterns of study.

Find your learning style

We all learn differently - some learn by looking (visual learners), by hearing or listening (auditory learners) or by touching and doing (kinaesthetic learners). Try to identify your preferred learning style so that you can find techniques to help you study effectively. And remember, your learning style may change over time.

You may want to check out the various questionnaires available to help you identify your main learning style:

• Honey and Mumford Learning Styles Questionnaire
• Index of Learning Styles Questionnaire (North Carolina State University)
• What’s Your Learning Style Quiz (Matrix Education)

Know your peak times

People work best at different times of the day so try and find your ‘Einstein window’ - the time of day that you function the best (mental peak) and where you feel energised and productive. For some, it may be the mornings whilst for others it may be during the night, so get to know your peak time and schedule your study time accordingly. It is better to perform your most challenging work (e.g understanding abstract material) at your peak time as this is when you are most alert and efficient. The least challenging tasks can be done when you are not functioning at your peak level.

Find your safe (happy) place

Finding places to study (on campus, at home, park etc) that suit your personality and learning style is important. Choose spaces that make you feel comfortable, focused and productive so that you can study effectively. If a space no longer suits you, switch it up for another working space.

Understand your concentration levels

Good concentration is essential when studying as it allows you to optimise your study time and avoid time wasting. However as our concentration span varies (depending on the person and the task) it is useful to understand your level of concentration.

Some tips to help you develop good concentration:

• have a plan so you know exactly what you have to do
• practise mindfulness - actively engage in what your are studying (e.g take notes while reading)
• eliminate disruptions and interruptions that you know will cause you to lose focus
• take short breaks to refresh yourself and get back on track
• adopt a healthy lifestyle through eating and sleeping well, and exercising.

Practise self-reflection and mindfulness

Get into the habit of practising self-reflection! Reviewing and reflecting on your day, week or activities can help you monitor your progress and keep you on track and make a conscious choice of whether you are committed to carrying it out. Ask yourself:

• Did I get the set tasks done? If not, why?
• What went well? Why?
• What did not go well? Why?
• How can I do this better next time?

Once you have made a conscious, deliberate choice that you are committed to doing something, you will give yourself the best chance of doing well. And remember, discussing and sharing your experiences with others (peers, tutors) can help you gain a different perspective.

Being mindful is another useful technique for developing good study habits. Try focusing on the present moment, totally engaged with the task that you are working on. This way, you will be able to work more efficiently and productively.

Check out some of the useful resources available to help you develop mindfulness.

• Mindfulness resources (Curtin University)

Access information on Curtin’s mindfulness programs, community, therapists and more.

Ask for help

Get into the habit of seeking assistance when you are struggling with your studies. It is best to ask for help as soon as possible instead of wasting too much time trying to solve the problem yourself. Consider consulting your tutor and lecturer in the first instance but also remember that your classmates and friends may also be a great source of help.

You will also want to take advantage of the academic support programs that are offered by the university. For example, the Library offers online programs and workshops to help you develop your academic research and study skills.

And remember, it is important to take responsibility for yourself and your own learning!

Test yourself

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Better Study Habits, Essay Example

Pages: 3

Words: 811

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Fig 1 :  Mindmap for process of research strategy for better study habits

Introduction

The  challenge is to examine my current practices of studying and look  towards developing a strategy that will improve my study habits.  Although, I believe I am reasonably well disciplined in that regard, there is always room for improvement.  My mind mapping approach identifies the logical and structured way in order to approach the problem.  Figure 1 above, identifies the logical components, and my approach to the work. (Time Management Guide, 2005)

Assessment of existing habits

In order to understand and document my existing study habits.  I propose to complete two diagrams.  The first of these will be a workflow diagram, thereby pictorially illustrating my existing approach to studying.  Secondly, a process map illustrating the processes that I undertake in my current study profile.  Having completed that exercise, I will brainstorm and produce another mind map that illustrates my planned for future study proposals.  The resulting difference between the future state requirements, and the current state requirements is that of a gap analysis.  The gap analysis will be that transitionary steps that I will need to take in order to reach my goal of an improved studying regime. (QMT, 2009)

In order to document my current study habits.  I will look at collecting the following information:

Workflow – this will mean gathering information that describes how I currently complete my studying.  For example: draw up a list of required reading material, go to the library, research request to texts, locate the books, find study area, sit down and study books, you’ll observe here that I’ve listed a set of sequential steps.  Each of these will take time and effort and illustrate how I currently approach my study timetable. This type of visual representation is performed by iconic drawing and provides the reader with an understanding of the flow of work.

Process Mapping – this builds upon the workflow diagram concept, but described more accurately, the processes involved in my current studying activities.  By understanding my current state activities.  It will help me to determine my future state requirements, and how appropriate streamlining and improvements can be made.  For example, if we consider the sequential steps listed in the workflow illustration, we might decide to make some improvements.  Instead of taking time to go to the library and find books.  We may decide that it is quicker to complete the research online and use services like Questia or Google books to obtain e-book’s that can be downloaded for our research.  When considering these changes, it will be important to evaluate the information.  This means, considering the example above, integrity of the online data information sources, what help services might be available; as contrasted to having library assistance.

Resolving the problems

It is the gap analysis that will enable me to complete the necessary transformation steps in order to improve my study habits.  In attainment of this goal, I will be looking towards solving the following problem:

• streamlining existing processs of work, and eliminating any redundant habits, i.e., those habits that are not productive and do not actively contribution to to my study process;
• improving timescales and speeding up the way I approach my studying without degenerating quality or content of my studies;
• any general efficiency steps that might improve my overall objectivity and approach to studying.

Finally I will convert this to an implementation plan for actioning.  My implementation plan will be relatively simple and really be a timeline diagram that illustrates the actions or steps that need to be taken, the milestones or dates that these need to be completed and the logic of the sequential steps that this will take.  An example of this is illustrated in figure 2 below.  I have adopted this approach in order to keep this both simple and straightforward i.e., easy to understand and implement. (Harris, 2002)

Fig 2 :  Timeline plan illustrating sequences involved

In the above diagram you’ll observe a logical flow of sequencing, from left to right.  Each one of these blocks of activities will contain subordinate tasks.  To manage the work task level.  It is now a simple case of expanding the timeline diagram into that of the Gantt chart and assigning resource effort to complete the individual tasks.

Works Cited

Harris, R. (2002, 1 5). Problem Solviong techniques . Retrieved 2 12, 2010, from Virtual Salt: http://www.virtualsalt.com/crebook4.htm

QMT. (2009, 2). Process Mapping.co.uk . Retrieved 2 12, 2010, from Process Mapping: http://www.process-mapping.co.uk/

Time Management Guide. (2005). Retrieved 2 12, 2010, from Time Management Guide.com: http://www.time-management-guide.com/mind-mapping.html

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